Research Catalog

Burning down the Haus : punk rock, revolution, and the fall of the Berlin Wall

Title
Burning down the Haus : punk rock, revolution, and the fall of the Berlin Wall / by Tim Mohr.
Author
Mohr, Tim
Publication
  • Chapel Hill, North Carolina : Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2018.
  • ©2018

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TextUse in library JME 18-495Performing Arts Research Collections - Music

Details

Description
ix, 363 pages, 8 pages of unnumbered plates : illustrations; 24 cm
Summary
  • "The history of how teenage East German punk rockers played an indispensable role in bringing down the Berlin Wall"--
  • "It began with a handful of East Berlin teens who heard the Sex Pistols on a British military radio broadcast to troops in West Berlin, and it ended with the collapse of the East German dictatorship. Punk rock was a life-changing discovery. The buzz-saw guitars, the messed-up clothing and hair, the rejection of society and the DIY approach to building a new one: in their gray surroundings, where everyone's future was preordained by some communist apparatchik, punk represented a revolutionary philosophy--quite literally, as it turned out. But as these young kids tried to form bands and became more visible, security forces--including the dreaded secret police, the Stasi--targeted them. They were spied on by friends and even members of their own families; they were expelled from schools and fired from jobs; they were beaten by police and imprisoned. Instead of conforming, the punks fought back, playing an indispensable role in the underground movements that helped bring down the Berlin Wall. This secret history of East German punk rock is not just about the music; it is a story of extraordinary bravery in the face of one of the most oppressive regimes in history. Rollicking, cinematic, deeply researched, highly readable, and thrillingly topical, Burning Down the Haus brings to life the young men and women who successfully fought authoritarianism three chords at a time--and is a fiery testament to the irrepressible spirit of revolution."--Dust jacket.
  • It began with a handful of East Berlin teens who heard the Sex Pistols on a British military radio broadcast to troops in West Berlin, and it ended with the collapse of the East German dictatorship. Punk rock was a life-changing discovery: in their gray surroundings, where everyone's future was preordained by some communist apparatchik, punk represented a revolutionary philosophy-- quite literally, as it turned out. Mohr explores this extraordinary bravery in the face of one of the most oppressive regimes in history, and brings to life the young men and women who fought authoritarianism three chords at a time-- a fiery testament to the irrepressible spirit of revolution. -- adapted from jacket
Alternative Title
Burning down the house
Subjects
Genre/Form
History.
Note
  • "A version of this book was originally published in Germany as Stirb nicht im Warteraum der Zukunft: die ostdeutschen Punks und der Fall der Mauer by Heyne Hardcore in 2017"-- title page verso.
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (pages 361-363).
Contents
Too much future -- Oh bondage up yours! -- Combat rock -- Rise above -- Burning from the inside -- Disintegration -- Lust for life.
Call Number
JME 18-495
ISBN
  • 9781616208431
  • 1616208430
LCCN
2018010846
OCLC
1040073462
Author
Mohr, Tim, author.
Title
Burning down the Haus : punk rock, revolution, and the fall of the Berlin Wall / by Tim Mohr.
Publisher
Chapel Hill, North Carolina : Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2018.
Copyright Date
©2018
Edition
First edition.
Type of Content
text
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
volume
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 361-363).
Chronological Term
1900-1999
Research Call Number
JME 18-495
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